Anchoring means for hold-down devices or elements



Sepbl, 1936. H. WILLIAMS 2,052,914 l ANCHORING MEANS FOR HOLD-DOWN DEVICES OR ELEMENTS Original Filed Dec. 24, 1931. 2 Sheets-Sheet l r 5 l, r l a,

ffjflsept. 1, 1936. H, WILLIAMS ANCH-ORING MEANS FOR HOLD-DOWN DEVICES OR ELEMENTS Original Filed Deo. 24, 195] 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. l, 1936 PATENT OFFICE ANcHoEING MEANs 'Fon HOLD-DOWN DEVICES on., ELEMENTS Hubert Lefebvre Williams, Detroit, Mich., assignor to The New York. Central Railroad Company, a` corporation of New York original application December 24, 1931, serial No. 583,091. Divided andtlrs application January 30', 1934, Serial No. 709,025-

1 Claim.

j This application is a divisori of my prior application for Auto box car', iiledk December 24,

1931, Serial No'. 583,091.

, This invention relates to means for securing automobiles or other lading in freight 'cars for transportation, and particularly to anchoring -rneansl forvehicle or arti-cle'V holddown devices or members, whereby the same may be' adjustably -attachedto the floorv of the car.

The main object of the invention istov provide anchoring means of the type comprising a hollow or channeled guide rail fixed to the floor of the 'carv and"` an anchor member movable therein wherein the anchor member may not only be adjusted longitudinally along the guide rail and of the car, but may also by vertical movements be locked to and released from the guide rail to hold: it (the said anchor member) from shifting or to free it for adjustment 4or movement toV an inoperative or storage position. I

A further object of the invention is tov provide a guide raily andV anchor member of novel constructionV whereby such locking and releasing actions are simplified andY facilitated and a safe and secure locking action effected.

With these-and other objects in View, which will appear in the course of the subjoineddescription, the invention consists of the novel *features of" construction,` combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fullydescribed and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Fig. l is a transverse section through the lower portion of-a freight car embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 through the car on one side of its center and showing the channeled holder or guide rail and cooperating parts at that side.

Fig. 3 isa a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section through the car showing some of the hold-down devices embodying the invention in use for fastening an automobile wheel to the car floor.

Fig. 4 is a sectional perspective view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the channeled guide track and the anchor member, showing the latter in locked position.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the track rail at its juncture with the branch track.

Fig. 6 is a cross-section through the track showing one of the anchor blocks in locked position.

In the practical embodiment of my invention as herein disclosed, I designates a freight car of ordinary construction including a oor 2, an

end wall 3, a pair of side walls 4 and 5, and a roofv (not shown). In the floor 2 are located a. pair of spaced longitudinally extending chan- -neled` guide or holder rails 6, each of which is vsubstantially of C form in cross-section and extends from end to end of the floor. These rails are embedded in the floor so that their slotted oropeny sides are disposed substantially flushwith the upper surface of the oor. The rails are firmly secured in position by bolts or other suitable fastenings I and the upper spaced, slotforming walls 8 of each rail are provided in their inner opposed edges along the entire length of the rail with registering pairs of notches or recesses 9 opening directly into the guide slot I0 disposed between said recessed edges.

A holdd'own device or element of suitable type is employed to engage and hold a wheel or other part of a vehicle or other article of lading against movement relative to the car floor. The

instance comprises a chain I I, and in accordancewith my present invention this chain is vprovided with anchor members I2 at its ends for cooperation with the channeled guide rail to hold the-vehicle wheel I3 or other engaged article down upon and from movement relative to the door 2.

The chain I I may be of any suitable construction, the particular chain structure shown in the present instance being no part of my invention but being shown for indicating one form of holddown chain suitable for the purpose. This holddown chain may be of a type comprising a pair of side chains connected at suitable intervals by cross chains or links, the ends of the chain being suitably connected by links IE to the anchor members, and one end of the chain being provided with a suitable type of fastening lever means, generally indicated at I'I, whereby the chain may be adjusted and drawn taut about the wheel ties or wheels to rmly fasten the wheels to the floor. I do not, however, restrict the invention to use in connection with any particular type of holddown chain or device, as a holddown chain of the character shown in my aforesaid application Serial No. 583,091 for anchoring a vehicle to the car iloor or any other approved form of holddown chain or device may be employed.

As shown in the drawings, each anchor member I2 comprises a metallic block or base piece I8 of rectangular or oblong rectangular form adapted to lit within and to be slidably adjustable along the channel of the channeled guide rail when Eholddown device or element shown in the present said anchor member is in depressed condition. The block is provided with and has rising therefrom a substantially U-shaped loop or shank I9, forming an eye with which the associated connection link of the chain is engaged. This loop or eye encloses at its base a substantially circular locking boss cr stud 2i) projecting from the upper surface of the block.

the opposed locking recesses yin the upper wall sections of the guide channels whereby to lock'V anchor members may be adjusted longitudinally along the track rail to adapt the chain to be engaged with any suitable article or object, and that then by properly applying the holddown chain nand raising the anchor blocks in locking position and manipulating and lockingV the. tensionlever, the h-olddown chain may be properly tensioned and drawn tightly about the wheelorrv object `while the anchor block studs are drawnrfully into engagemnt with the selected locking recesses, so that the wheel or object will be firmly fastened in position against any possibility of shifting and the parts of the holddown device also firmly secured against shifting movements.

In practice the anchor members are preferably so fitted in their slots that they can not be ordinarilyV withdrawn, and therefore can not become lost or misplaced. Means are shown for storing the anchor members when not in use comprising a downwardly and laterally inclined anchor reservoir 2l at each side of the car for use with the channeled rail at that side, and into which leads from said rail a channeled branch arm 22 by means of and through which the anchor members not in use may be turned and slidably moved from the main rail into the branch rail to the storage reservoir in which any suitable number and kind of anchor members may be stored for use when and as occasion requires. The upper wall section of the main rail' at the point where the branch This stud is adapted uponthe raising of the block to t within a pair of rail connects therewith is cut away at an angle or beveled so as to provide an entrance and exit passage 23 the walls of which converge toward the branch arm to guide the anchor member in its passage thereto.

- zThe anchor member block or basemay be and preferably is, as shown, made of oblong rectangular form so that its major axis is coincident or parallel with the looped shank of the block, whileV its minor axis is at right angles thereto. The block is so lformed and properly dimensioned that itrwilltravel straight along the guide channel of the guide rail and can not enter the channel of the branch rail because its length is greater than the width of said channel, but, by swinging the vblock around transversely of the guide rail atY right angles to its normal position, it may be readily moved into the branch rail for transfer to the storage reservoir.

It will, of course, bereadily apparent from .the

A foregoing description that a holddown device and anchoring means of the character described may be provided which may be adjusted'along the guide rails to any point or position in the carfor use in connection with holddown devices or fasunderstoodl that :changes in the form, proportions and details of construction may be made Within the scope of Vthe appended claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:-

Ina freight. carrier, a longitudinally extending track in the floorv of substantially C-shape in cross-section to provide a T-slot, the walls of said slot being formed with seat recesses, and a VT- shaped anchor member longitudinally Vslidable and vertically movable in said slot, said member comprising a rectangular block, a U-shaped shank extending upwardly therefrom, and a locking stud extending upwardly from the block between the arms of theshank and adapted for engagement with said seat recesses. l

HUBERT LEFEBVRE WILLIAMS. 

